Your social media manager will be one of the most high-profile figures of your company – they listen in on all the trends of your field, and they speak out in the name of your business.

“They’re essentially your mascot, they create your company’s character and maintain the brand,” said Issa Asad Florida entrepreneur and social media expert. Mr. Asad is the CEO of Q Link Wireless and Quadrant Holdings, located in South Florida. He is also the author of 4 e-commerce and marketing e-books that can be purchased on Amazon.

If you’re hiring for a social media manager in a hurry, here Issa Asad Suggests 5 Questions to Ask Potential Social Media Marketers:

1. How successful are you on social media?

Ask the candidate how well they can market themselves on their platforms. If they aren’t putting their own name out there and accumulating traffic, it’s unlikely they can do the same for your company. A prospective social media manager should be constantly engaging with their audience, growing their follower base, and churning out exciting content that receives exceptional attention and shares.

Test your candidate by watching their activity on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn. How quickly do they respond to replies and messages? Look and see how much valuable content they share. Watch out if candidate is sharing obscene material – it’s not a good idea to hire them.

2. How much do you know about my market?

While you should be looking for a social media manager who’s excellently promoting themselves on their platforms, that’s not the end of the story – they need to have expert knowledge on your product, service, or niche. A media manager who understands your market just as much as you, if they know every in and out of the industry, they can market your brand that much more effectively.

Test the candidate with questions about your market only and expert can answer. What kind of material are the publishing and posting related to your market? Have they created any original content, such as
a research paper, article, or blog posts, that relate to your area of speciality?

3. What are your connections to big influencers in my field?

Every social media expert knows that one of the most effective networking strategies is joining hands with other influencers in their niche. Ask the candidate how well they know the biggest names in your
market, and if anyone relevant to your market is connected to their network. If your social media manager can connect your company with an influencer bigger than yourself, they will blow up your brand and expose their audience to your product.

To test your candidate for yourself, investigate their Twitter and Facebook followers to gauge how many people associated with your market are engaging with them.

4. Who are your clients?

The past and current work relationships your candidate has can tell a lot about their experience. Reach out to as many of the candidate’s past clients as you can – ask them about the candidate’s performance, and whether they were satisfied working with them. A candidate with a long track record of pleasing clients will bode well for your own relationship with them.

5. Which social media platforms do you use the most?

The types of social media platforms your candidate specializes in can tell a great deal about which audiences they network with and their style of brand building. Every social media platform uses different tools, methods, and uses different forms of communication. Be as specific as you can about which websites they use the most, and also which platforms they are still developing.

For example, Twitter is mainly a conversational platform – it allows for fast, brief interaction – but it isn’t as strong on providing traffic back to your landing page. So if your candidate specializes in Twitter, they’ll do great spreading the word about your company, but they should have just as much experience in a more well-rounded platform. Facebook is a prime example, because it balances both conversation and marketing.